#Brienne x Pod

[distinguishedstudentcat]

...so the Maid of Tarth and the Kingslayer forever lost to the Riverlands doing god knows what huh...iktr 🙂‍↕

[tessarionbestgirl]

Since I saw your post about daemon’s redemption: Have to say it’s really goddamn telling that Daemyra is the most popular ship involving daemon while nettles is the least popular despite being his arguably only canonical love interest. Like yes Daemon x nettles is problematic though what ship in asoiaf isn’t and Nettles is who daemon arguably sacrifices everything for in order for her to escape unharmed plus nettles confronts all of daemons toxic ideals and forces him to change. I swear if nettles wasn’t a black woman and was white like rhaenyra people wedlock to daemon x nettles in a heart beat but because nettles was black people need to show faux concern and say “what about rhaenyra” you know the woman who tried to hate crime nettles

Oh yeah is funny because while I do ship Alys and Daemon on the show, I saw some D*emyra already being more open about them being a thing then Nettles and Daemon.

I even remember people making threads, how, makes no sense Daemon fall for Nettles because she has no Valyrian characteristics. What you know is exactly the point of why Martin wrote he falling in love for Nettles, despite the problematic aspects. It is the whole Brienne and Jaime arc. Brienne is not even close to a classic knight or the classic beauty of woman but she honorable and beautiful in her way as Nettles despite probably not having any Valyrian blood on her she still able to do something no one was, taming a big wild dragon while also not being westorosi beauty standard. All this affect Jaime/Daemon to question their views and change to better. ( And arguably Brienne and Jaime are way more popular than Nettles and Daemon).

Of course this is lost when Ryan adapted the Valaryons to be black, so in this sense I understand why Ryan wouldn't want to adapt the romance between them because part of what make it compelling is lost. Whatever her character shouldn't get repurpose to other characters, and had her importance diminished in the process, because if you saw the leaks, Sheepstealer is small and ugly, and not ugly in the way Vaghar or Vermithor are ugly. The dragon is ugly that stand out as weak and have no appeal even compared to other dragons and it looks even generic design.

Imagine if Game of thrones they have repurpose Brienne to Pod and made him a shitty swordsman and Jaime gave him a random sword. Meanwhile instead of Jaime learning important lessons about himself, the world and being a important step to disconnect from the toxic relationship with Cersei, he had learned to embrace even more hid worse threats and all he needs was to be loyal to Cersei.

The narrative in the book on purpose says "Jaime throwing a kid from the window for love is not right." While the show justifies Daemon killing for Rhaenyra, doing b&c and so on. You know how insane this is?! The fandom back in the time would go crazy over this. Meanwhile hotd fandom, specially tb, justifies it and even some like it.

And he done that for what? Fanservice? Because is that how it feels. This season feels in a lot of sense filler and response for Twitter fans. Either to criticize, to justify it self or to endorse the worse opinions there.

[tj-is-down]

Squire Squabble (pt. 1) Podrick Payne x reader

So, I wrote this fic in 2022 and it's been sitting in my Google Docs ever since. Enjoy it! There's a Part Two that I'll probably post tomorrow.

Summary: Pod and Brienne meet one of Brienne's old acquaintances while traveling, and Pod does not get along with the man's squire.

Word count: ~2.1k

Warnings: Swearing, maybe? I can't remember. But I know that's really it. Also, most of my fics are gender neutral, but this one is written with a feminine reader in mind. Sorry!

Pod and Brienne sit in a tavern at nightfall. Pod is eating quickly and hungrily, having not eaten anything since the day prior. His fault, really, messing up the fire and forgetting to skin the rabbit and--well, it’s best not to get into it all. Brienne, he notices, isn’t eating, despite having eaten the same amount as he has in the last twenty-four hours, which is none.

“Are you not going to eat, my lady?” He asks, mouth full of food.

Brienne doesn’t answer, instead continuing to glare in the direction of another table behind Podrick. He goes to turn his head, but is stopped by Brienne.

“Don’t you dare,” she grunts, freezing him in motion.

He slowly turns back to face her. “What are you looking at?”

“Not what,” Brienne clarifies, “who. In this case, Ser Carac McLane of Tarth.”

Pod waits for her to continue, confused. “Who?”

“We grew up together,” Brienne says, “and he tormented me every day of my life. Everything I did, he had to be better. Learned to fight before me--because he’s a man, of course--and he’s never let me live it down. He thinks that age somehow triumphs over experience and skill--two things I have, and he doesn’t. He’s arrogant, ignorant, and classless. And that’s not the half of it.”

“How long has it been since you’ve last seen each other?” Pod asks, taking another bite. “Perhaps he’s changed, or--”

“People like him aren’t ones who change, Podrick,” Brienne interrupts. Her face suddenly drops. “Shit. He’s walking over. Stop eating, and sit up straight. Don’t give him any reason to critique you. Podrick, I said stop eating!”

How am I supposed to swallow this if I can’t chew? Pod thinks, yet he doesn’t have another second to resolve his issue before they are approached by Ser Carac, along with a younger individual about the same age as Pod.

Brienne stiffens, moving to stand up, but Ser Carac waves her off. “No need for formalities, Brienne of Tarth. We’re past that by now, don’t you think?”

“I suppose so, Ser Carac of Tarth,” Brienne responds. “This is my squire, Podrick Payne.” She gestures to Pod, who nods his head, mouth still full of food. Ser Carac nods in his direction, yet his companion doesn’t, instead choosing to half-smirk at him, seeing right through his facade. He glares back at them, trying to be as menacing as possible. He realizes, however, that it’s entirely useless, as he looks like a chipmunk with his mouth full of food.

“You’ve a squire now?” Ser Carac asks incredulously. “I never thought I’d see the day you reached such a high rank. This is Y/N, my squire.”

 “What brings you to this area?” Brienne asks. “I’d have thought you were retired, old as you are.”

“Might I remind you, I’m not much older than you,” Carac states.

“Your lack of hair could’ve fooled me,” Brienne replies. Podrick nearly spits out his food holding back a laugh. He’ll have to commend Brienne for that later.

Both Carac and Y/N look over at him, Y/N shooting daggers at him. Carac, however, seems to ignore it, instead turning back to Brienne.

“Well, as much as it was a pleasure seeing you, we must be off.”

“Don’t choke, Podrick,” Y/N says,harshly patting him on the back before turning to walk away. Pod starts coughing, the food getting stuck in his throat. He quickly gulps from his cup and turns back to glare at Y/N. They’re looking over their shoulder at him, half-smirking. 

Pod decides at this moment that he dislikes them. Immensely.

“Told you,” Brienne says.

* * *

Pod and Brienne are long beyond the tavern now, about a day’s journey out. The sun is concluding its descent, and the two have decided to stop for the night, when they see the faint orange glow of a fire coming through the trees.

“Should we see about that up there?” Pod asks.

“Well, seeing as you can’t start a fire for shit, there’s no harm in joining those who already have one going, is there?” Brienne replies.

Apparently there was harm in joining those who already have a fire, since those happened to be Ser Carac and Y/N, who seem to have just begun to make camp.

“Lady Brienne, what a surprise!” Ser Carac says, although he seems more annoyed than surprised. “I didn’t know you were going this way. We could have traveled together. Although, I know how much you enjoy your beauty sleep, despite its lack of effect. I, on the other hand, wake up with the sun.”

Brienne rolls her eyes, ignoring his comment. “Would you mind if we joined you, Ser Carac? I would hate to intrude.”

“Too late for that,” Carac mutters. “But since you’re here, please, join us.”

Pod and Brienne dismount their horses, tying them up to a couple of nearby trees. Y/N stares at them as they do so, eyes following their movements. “Lady Brienne,” they say, nodding their head. “Podrick,” they add, suddenly stone cold and straight faced.

He doesn’t reply, instead taking a seat across from them by the fire.

After an hour or so, Carac speaks up. “I’m getting tired. Y/N, Podrick, make up our tents, won’t you?”

The two nod, getting up to do as he says.

They walk a short ways away from the fire, making sure they’re within eyesight but far enough away that they’re hidden if anyone sees the fire from afar and comes to attack them. Now that night’s fallen, it’s too cold to be without fire, regardless of the dangers. Pod and Y/N work silently, a wordless agreement that despite their dislike for each other, putting the tents up together is much faster than doing it alone. They put the first two up effortlessly, but when it comes to the third, things all come crashing down--literally.

Pod pulls a piece of fabric from the pile at the same time as Y/N, who then attempts to take it away from him. He pulls it back towards himself and Y/N does the same, resulting in a competition tug-of-war. After a moment, they hear the sound of the fabric tearing, and sure enough, the cover is ripped in half.

“You ripped the tent,” Y/N shouts, angry and nervous at the same time. “And now I’m going to have to answer for it.”

“That’s because it’s your fault,” Pod retorts. “You pulled too hard on the cloth, not me.”

Y/N scoffs. “Are you joking? You’re the one who pulled too hard. And I don’t appreciate--”

Pod speaks up, interrupting. “Now, that is not true, and I don’t appreciate--”

Before long, the two are in a brawl, shouting over one another and shooting daggers with their eyes.

“What’s going on here?” Brienne says as she and Ser Carac approach the pair.

“Your squire ripped the tent,” Y/N and Pod say to Brienne and Carac at the same time. They glare at each other at the realization.

“We’ve lost a tent?” Brianne asks rhetorically. “Well, I’m not sleeping on the ground. Are you, Ser Carac?”

He shakes his head. “I am not.”

“Well, then. That settles it.”

“I’m not sleeping on the bare ground,” Y/N says, turning to Pod and crossing their arms. “Be a good squire, will you?”

“Absolutely not,” Pod laughs. “You’re the one who ripped the tent, you should be sleeping on the ground.”

“You can’t be serious, I--”

“Both of you, sleep in the tent,” Ser Carac interrupts. “Or you can both sleep on the ground.”

At the sight of their faces, Brienne smirks. “And we don’t want to hear another word from either of you about it. That’s an order, Podrick.”

“You too, Y/N,” Ser Carac adds. With that, the two disappear into their tents.

“Since when did those two get along?” Y/N mumbles, staring after them, while Pod starts gathering the leftover materials for the last tent. He gets a fair bit through before catching Y/N’s attention.

“What are you doing?” They whisper to him, careful not to get the attention of either Brienne or Carac.

“What does it look like? I’m making up the tent.”

Y/N shrugs. “Have fun. I’m sleeping out here.”

“No, you’re not. You heard them, Y/N. Either we both sleep out here or we both sleep in there. I don’t know about you, but I’d rather a roof over my head, however thin.”

“I don’t care what orders we have, Podrick. I’m not sharing a tent with you, and I’d rather lose my hand like Jaime Lannister than sleep next to you out here.”

“Lucky for you, that can be arranged,” Pod grumbles. “Now, I’m serious Y/N. Come on. I’m not getting in trouble because you’ve decided to be a spoiled princess about this.”

“A princess? Me? Please. If anyone here’s acting that way, it’s you. Why does it matter where I sleep?”

“Are you even listening to me?”

“No.”

Pod rolls his eyes before continuing. “We’ve been given orders, Y/N.” He grabs their arm and tries to pull them toward the tent. “Come on.”

Y/N pulls back. “No.”

“Y/N, please, I won’t do this all night--”

He pulls harder, but Y/N loses their footing and falls onto him, toppling into the tent.

For a minute Y/N is frozen on top of him, shocked at the quick change in position from standing up to laying down. They feel the warmth of his breath on their face, and his eyes flicker quickly to their mouth before meeting their eyes again.

“All right, Princess,” he says, slowly rolling Y/N off of him. “Off you go.”

“What did I tell you about that nickname?” They reply, exasperated.

“When are you going to realize that it doesn’t matter to me what you tell me?” He cocks an eyebrow. “You might think you’re royalty, but you aren’t. You’re a squire, just like me.”

“Believe me, I’m nothing like you.”

“Thank the gods. Now, go to sleep, will you? I’m tired.”

* * *

Pod is still awake a while later, though he’s not sure how much time has passed. Y/N shakes and stirs, clearly attempting to not make a sound. They are unsuccessful.

“You’re keeping me up,” Pod says monotonously. “Go to bed.”

“I’m cold,” they say, and Pod hears them turning to the other direction. The two are facing outward, away from each other, about a foot apart. There isn’t much space for anything more than that, since the tent is so small. The temperature has dropped drastically in the night, and although Pod has a coat, he can still feel a chill in the air.

“Aren’t you from the North?” Pod asks.

“So? I’ve not a coat, Podrick. A wolf would be cold in this weather.”

“Well, I’m not giving you my furs,” he grunts. “Then I’ll be cold.”

“I wasn’t asking.”

“Good.”

“Good.”

Y/N continues to toss and turn, not caring whether or not they keep Pod awake. Why must they make him suffer just because they are?

After a moment Pod lets out an irritated sigh, and shuffles over. At the feeling of his body behind theirs, Y/N stiffens.

“What are you doing?” They ask him.

“Getting you warm. I need sleep, Y/N, and I won’t very well get that with you moving around every ten seconds. Now, come on, move closer.”

They wait a moment, he assumes in order to process his words. He’s not gotten along with Y/N since their meeting the day before, and he knows they’d rather not give in to anything he says or asks, but at this point he also knows they’re too tired and cold to care. They scoot backwards a half an inch, seemingly satisfied with the positioning as Pod wraps an arm around them. He tries to keep his face away from theirs, but eventually gives up and rests it in the crook of their neck.

“This means nothing,” Y/N asserts, stating matter-of-factly.

Pod doesn’t buy it, though. He feels their heart beating and their breath evening, giving away the comfort and ease they feel in the position you two are in. “Whatever you say, Princess.”

“I hate that nickname. And I really hate you.”

“Whatever you say, Princess.”

[drymushroomfics]

Reminiscing

Sandor Clegane x Female Reader

Previous Next

Chapter Three

Walking into a tavern, you spot a familiar face. Someone you had met before working in Kingslanding. Someone who had saved you when you were merely a child. "Brienne of Tarth.", you say, walking up to her and her companion. She looks at you, eyes focused on yours, trying to remember you. "Don't remember me?… I don't blame you. I was just a little girl when we knew each other.", you tell her.

Her brows forrow before a lightbulb seems to go off. "Y/n?? The little girl who I used to play with in the gardens?", she asks, a smile on her face. "That's the one." You take a seat at the table with them and began talking. "This is my- traveling companion, Podrick Payne. Pod, this is y/n." "Very good to meet you! How do you know, Lady Brienne?", he asks you. "My mother worked in the kitchens for her father, Lord Selwyn Tarth… I helped out and Brienne would play with me outside. We'd fight with sticks in the garden. He'd get so angry when he caught her playing with one of the servants. After Brienne left the isle, I did to." "What have you been up to since then?", she asks you. "I've been fighting and traveling mostly. I worked in the kitchens of Kingslanding for years but circumstances led me to leave. What have you been doing then? I see you've got some very nice knight armor. Are you a knight then?" "Not a knight… Just a warrior keeping my oaths." "You were always so noble. I remember the other servant boys would pick on me and you'd scare them all away." "That sounds like Lady Brienne.", Pod adds. "What about you, y/n? Did you know, Pod, that as a small girl, she would stand right up to my father when he yelled at me. I was older than her and a little bigger. To this day, I still have never seen anyone stand up to him like that." You and her laughed. "So what brings you out here?", you ask them after asking the tavern girl for a meal. "We're looking for someone.", Pod tells her. "Who? Maybe I can help." You can see the hesitation on their faces. "I am not an enemy Brienne. I have no ties to anyone. I'm traveling alone with my mare… I could help you. Who are you looking for?" "The stark girls.", she whispers. "I haven't seen Arya since her fathers execution… and Sansa… She's gone? She was at Kingslanding when I left. Why are you wanting the girls?" "I promised their mother that I would protect them with my life. I swore an oath. and yes, Sansa is gone. She fled with Littlefinger after the King's murder. "The king's dead?" She nods, "Poisoned at his own wedding." You think for a moment, unsure of what to make of the information. "Who did it?", you asked in a hush tone. "People believe it was Tyrion Lannister and Sansa together." "I don't believe Sansa Stark would've done such a thing and if so, Littlefinger is surely to blame." "We believe so… But we have a trail on Arya. Only a day ago, we learned who she may be traveling with. Imprisoned most likely." "Who?" "The Hound. Your face turns red. "T-the Hound…. Why would she be with him?", you ask, your interest growing. "I don't know. Probably holding her hostage.", Pod adds. "I'll help.", you tell them, "Whatever you want me to do, I'm in." Brienne nods, turning to Pod and instructing him to ready the horses. Brienne notices your expression, "Why are you so red faced over the Hound?" You nod slowly, "It's a long story. He betrayed me and I want my revenge." Brienne nods, "Alright, old friend. I'll take the girl and you can have that blasted dog."

[closethedoorandcomehere]

Spoilers, profanity, Jaime x Brienne. Game of Thrones. A Song of Ice and Fire. AFfC Brienne II (repost)

Close The Door And Come Here - AFfC Brienne II (repost)

Every time Brienne takes a bath she thinks of Jaime, confirmed. Pod breaks our hearts. There are some things Brienne would give up her honor for… Why do people hate happiness, and genitals?

[atopvisenyashill]

If asoiaf characters were to take a drivers test who would pass? Who would fail? And who would end up in jail for breaking so many traffic laws and also maybe running over someone?

who passes?

arya but she has so many tickets

nedcat both get perfect scores

brienne drives renly, loras, jaime, and pod around everywhere

robert, but only barely. he is known for being an angry driver, he’s gotten several tickets, and he sticks to a personal driver at jon arryn’s suggestion

oberyn - he actually has a class a license not for a job but bc he was bored

davos - he’s a smuggler, he’s got all sorts of licenses and most of them are legit

olenna has to retake the test every year bc she’s so old and she bitches CONSTANTLY about this

stannis is the only baratheon with a still valid license. he will NOT drive those freeloaders anyway, even if they’re going to the same place, he makes them call a car bc he doesn’t understand how they keep failing or getting their license suspended.

who fails?

lysa fails the written portion by like one question three times but gets the driving test in one go

edmure fails so many times blackfish buys him a bus pass for his birthday as a joke. jokes on him tho bc edmure has a million friends willing to give him a ride

renly is incapable of passing the written portion no matter how hard he tries. no one points out it’s so weird to be a lawyer and not understand road law

theon gets his license revoked constantly for drunk driving no matter how many times robb offers to pick him up when he’s drunk. he has been through several programs, he thinks they’re all goofy and claims he does not have a drinking problem

who gets arrested for vehicular murder?

aemond

euron

criston clearly goes to trial but gets off lol

joffrey, obviously, and he doesn’t have a license either

daemon did get arrested but he was found not guilty on all charges even tho everyone knows he did that shit and it was on purpose

gregor clegane but only after four trials for four separate incidents where he was acquitted

obara, but it Was genuinely an accident she’s just a speed racer. doran will Not let her drive if they have to carpool for family functions, his family is Banned from letting her drive, however nymeria Will let her drive if they’re together

where is x?

daemon’s license was revoked bc he refuses to pay child support because he lives with his two baby mamas, they’re just not married. laena has tried to get him to hire a lawyer to get it straightened out but it’s the principle of the thing, he refuses

none of the lannisters have drivers licenses, they’re too rich, they have personal drivers. jaime didn’t care enough, cersei thinks the test is beneath her, tyrion thinks it’s funnier to be a nuisance to everyone around him hitching rides. well - myrcella DOES have a license actually but she hasn’t told anyone in her family except tyrion bc she doesn’t want to have to give rides. she does not consider tyrion a nuisance, she will drive him anywhere.

i just feel like dany has never had to drive a car in her life. she is [modern day version of her storyline. some sort of refugee? idk] so she didn’t have Access to a car, then all of a sudden had a personal driver, so it’s never even been a thought in her mind. she does Not care either, like by the time she has the freedom to learn, she’s busy!! she’s smart enough, she Would pass it, but she just doesn’t have the time to learn

[reddragon30000]

A little mishap

For brienneoftarth1989

Brienne of Tarth x Podrick Payne

Fluff and hurt/comfort

Patience was not exactly something that Brienne of Tarth held in abundance, but she had found herself needing to employ it more and more since acquiring her first Squire. 

It wasn't that she disliked Podrick, but the number of things he didn't know far outweighed what he did, and that was hampering his duties as a Squire.

Brienne had to admit to herself that she was being a little unfair. Everyone had to start somewhere, but she was not used to someone else serving her, especially while travelling. 

All of this crossed the knight's mind as Podrick struggled to control his horse. He was a little way behind her now, trying to get his horse alongside hers. 

Brienne was startled by a loud bang,a pained yelp from Podrick and the sound of a startled horse. Turning her horse, she was surprised to see Podrick's legs sticking out of a large bush.

Somehow, he still had hold of his horse's reins, which was jerking his head a little, still somewhat startled.

Shaking her head, Brienne dismounted and strode over to Podrick. Tapping his foot, she asked:

"Pod? Can you hear me in there?"

A very muffled:

"Yes, my Lady"

Floated from the middle of the bush. The knight had to bite her lip hard to stop herself from laughing. Not only did her Squire sound utterly ridiculous, his legs sticking out of a bush was the funniest thing she had ever seen. 

Controlling herself with an effort, Brienne parted some leaves with her armoured arms until she could reveal the rest of her Squire. 

He peered up at her mournfully with a very scratched face, and Brienne patted him on the head, unable to stop herself. He looked both adorable and very sad, and the knight was impressed by the way he had held onto his horse. 

She sighed.

"Out of all the bushes to break your fall, you end up in a bramble bush. Here, grab my hand, I'll get you out."

With some more thrusts of her arms, and some tugging, Brienne pulled Podrick out of the bush. As she helped him regain his feet, she asked:

"What happened?"

He grinned at her sheepishly.

"I didn't tie one of my saddle-bags on tight enough and it fell off. When it hit the path it made a big bang, and my horse reared because he was startled. I lost my balance and fell in the bush."

Brienne sighed and shook her head, both amused and irritated. Moving closer to her Squire, she reached out a hand, cupping his face as she examined his scratches. 

Her voice was irritated, but her touch gentle as she grumbled:

"You really have the worst luck of anyone I've seen, boy!" 

Letting go of Podrick, Brienne pulled out a small jar and a cloth from her pack. Opening the jar, she brushed the contents on the cloth and began carefully treating the scratches on his face. 

"Keep as still as possible while I sort you out, these scratches need cleaning. "

He hissed in pain while his Knight tended to him, his face stinging unpleasantly. Finishing at last, Brienne put away her medicine and reached out, placing a hand softly on Podrick's shoulder. 

She smiled and said gently: 

"Don't be so downhearted. You did very well holding onto your horse in the middle of everything. I may snap at you sometimes, but I care about you too. You are learning, much quicker than you think. Do you understand, Podrick?" 

Podrick flushed and looked down at the path, swallowing hard. He had never heard Brienne open up this much to him before, and to hear her say how much she valued him was making him emotional. He managed a somewhat shaky:

"Yes, m-my L-lady." 

She nodded, squeezed his shoulder, and pulled him towards his horse. 

"Come on, time to get going. We can take it slowly for a while. Just try not to fall into any more bushes!" 

She smiled again at his sudden laugh and mounted, leading the way once more.

[strgryn]

[vixleonard]

Brienne x Podrick

“You do not have to fight, Pod.”

He looks up from sharpening his sword, his solemn face somehow even more serious in the firelight.  “Of course I do.”

“I’m not trying to say I think you’re not brave - “

“I know what you’re trying to say.  But I am your squire, and where you go, I go.”  She opens her mouth and he quickly adds, “And even if you try to dismiss me, I will still fight because it is the right thing to do.”

Brienne cannot help but smile as she sinks down beside him, warming herself while she can.  She has still not gotten used to the way the cold in the North climbs into your bones and refuses to leave.  “Are you afraid to die?”

“No.”  He shrugs.  “Though I’d prefer not to do it.”

“I would prefer you not do it either.”

“I fought in the Blackwater with Lord Tyrion.  I could have died then.”  Carefully sheathing his sword and setting the belt beside him, he continues, “I was always told it was an honor to die in battle.  We’ve seen many men die.”

“We have.”

“I’m not sure if there’s honor in it.  But I’ve only ever seen you act with honor, and if you are going to war, then there’s honor in it.  If I die, I think it would be all right.”

Brienne’s throat tightens with emotion before managing, “I would not be all right.”

“Nor would I be if you were to fall.”

They sit the rest of the night in companionable silence, the fire crackling, everything they couldn’t say hanging in the air between them.

[sassbewitchedmyass]

I need one of you amazing artists to do Pod and Jaime standing in the doorway of a house, holding pamphlets and saying “have you heard about our lord and saviour, Brienne of Tarth?”

[tj-is-down]

Squire Squabble (pt. 2) Podrick Payne x reader

Here's part 2, also written in 2022 (these been in the drafts foreveeeeer). I hope you like it! :)

Summary: After being forced to spend the night in close quarters, Pod and Y/N find themselves traveling together a few more days.

Word count: ~2.1k

Warnings: Read part 1 first! Also written w/ a feminine character in mind, but going forward in future fics that likely won't be the case (it will be gender neutral). Enjoy!

When Y/N wakes up, the tent is empty. Pod must’ve woken up already and went to eat. When Y/N leaves the tent, their suspicions are confirmed, as Pod sits by the fire along with Brienne and Carac. Upon seeing them approach, his eyes flicker quickly away, finding sudden interest in the grass by his feet. Y/N sits beside Ser Carac and begins to cook their food, roasting it on the open fire.

“How’d you sleep?” Ser Carac asks them nonchalantly.

“Very well, thank you,” Y/N replies.

“How was the tent?” Ser Carac continues, looking to Pod. “You didn’t dishonor my squire, did you?”

Brienne’s eyes widen in surprise at the accusation, but Pod merely takes another bite of his food. “Not for all the gold in the world, Ser.”

Y/N glares at him, but before they have a minute to say anything, Brienne conveniently yet unknowingly steps in.

“Pod, we’ll be traveling with Ser Carac and Y/N until we reach Wolf’s Wood, then we’ll be splitting off. That gives us at least another three day’s traveling. The two of you think you can keep from killing each other until then?” She asks, referencing you and Pod. “We’ll stop and get another tent at the next market. Until then, the two of you are sharing.”

Pod opens his mouth to say something, but at the sight of Brienne’s stern look, he closes it, instead choosing to grunt an acceptance as he takes another bite of food. Y/N similarly sighs before nodding their head in defeat.

The next three days are going to be long.

* * *

The day’s ride is silent, almost no one saying anything except the occasional words to their horse in order to keep them moving in the right direction. None of them are really talkers anyway, other than Ser Carac, who loves the sound of his own voice, as the other three know very well at this point in the journey. Y/N, however, is seething, still angry over Pod’s comment earlier in the morning. They say nothing about it until the two are alone, hitting him upside the head as they finish setting up the tent. He turns to them, equally angered and confused.

“What was that for?”

“You know what it was for.”

“Obviously I don’t, or I wouldn’t have asked. I dislike the sound of your voice, and if I can go on without hearing it, I will.”

“You’ve made that clear. What was it you said earlier? ‘Not for all the gold in the world,’ right? You wouldn’t sleep with me for all the gold in the world.”

“Are you angered by that?” He asks, even more puzzled than before.

“Yes, I am,” Y/N responds matter-of-factly.

“And why would that be?” Pod inquires before shaking his head. “Actually, I don’t care. Be angry all you want; I’m going to sleep.” He turns and moves into the tent, Y/N following behind him. “And don’t keep me up all night again, I swear to the gods, Y/N--”

“Last night was the closest you’ve ever even been to anyone in the bedroom, and it wasn’t even a romantic encounter,” Y/N says pointedly.

Pod stops what he’s doing and turns back to Y/N. He raises an eyebrow.

“That’s not true,” he says simply. “I’ve been with plenty of people.”

Y/N shrugs. “Sure you have. And I’m the heir to the Iron Throne.”

“Very funny. I don’t need to prove myself to you. I know who I am, and who I’ve been with. But above all, I’m humble, and humble men don’t share their conquests outside of the bedroom.” He smirks at them, satisfied with his answer. “Especially with the inexperienced such as yourself.”

Y/N scoffs. “You think you’ve more experience than me?”

“I do, yeah.”

“Prove it.”

“Prove it?”

“Yeah,” Y/N says, shrugging their shoulders. “You say you’re so experienced; prove it.”

Pod is wide-eyed for a moment, stuck in his tracks. Y/N thinks they’ve won, convinced they’ve cured themselves of Podrick’s self-righteous attitude, but he shakes his head slightly and takes a step forward.

“Alright, fine. Sit down.”

Y/N sits on the floor of the tent, as does Pod.

He reaches out his right hand and places it on the back of their neck, his thumb resting on their cheek. He leans closer, slowly, and closes his eyes. Y/N closes theirs only for a second before opening them back up again, nerves getting the best of them. This confuses them; they’ve never been nervous--let alone this nervous--about anything. But they can’t back out, not without letting Pod win, and that’s not happening. They feel his breath on their face as he gets closer, the gap between them getting smaller and smaller. Suddenly, Pod stops.

“I know you’re bluffing,” he whispers, the hint of triumph in his voice.

“What?”

“You keep moving your head back,” he says before letting go of them and backing away. He raises his voice back to a normal volume. “You’re bluffing, about knowing more than me. I doubt you know anything at all. Like I said, inexperienced.”

“That’s not true,” Y/N says, stammering over their words. “I got nervous, it happens. Sorry I don’t want to kiss--”

“Nervous!” Pod laughs. “Of course you’re nervous. Because you’re you, and I’m me, and you can’t handle it. Start with someone smaller, or, you know, more your speed. You can work your way back up, and when you’re ready, maybe I’ll still be around.”

Y/N takes a deep breath, letting his words mull over in their mind. Sure, he might be right, but they’ll be damned before they let him figure that out. 

“Fuck it,” they mutter to themselves, before leaning forward and kissing him.

Pod, although confused at first, moves into it, putting his hand back where it was on their neck. The two of them fight for dominance, finally putting their anger for each other towards something useful.

After a few seconds Y/N pulls away, out of breath. Pod, however, seems to be unfazed. “Not bad,” he says nonchalantly. “Could be better though. You need more practice.”

He leans in to kiss them. “I hate you,” they respond before placing their lips on his.

“Good,” he says between kissing them. “That’s good.” Another kiss. “Use that.”

Another kiss. “Shut up, Podrick.”

“Mmhmm.”

* * *

Y/N wakes up while the sun is just rising, rays just barely sneaking through the fabric of the tent. Their head is laid on Pod’s chest, the two of them lying in a “T” position. One of Pod’s arms rests under his head, the other laying across Y/N’s body, his thumb running up and down.

“Good morning, Podrick,” Y/N says, not moving from their position.

“Morning, Y/N.”

Despite the neutral tone of his voice, something changed between Pod and Y/N in the night, whether they realized it consciously or not. Y/N stretched their legs, fighting butterflies in their stomach. Does Pod feel the way they do? What would he say when Ser Carac and Brienne ask about their night’s sleep?

“It’s too early to be thinking so hard, Y/N,” Pod says, noticing the scrunched look on their face.

“How much gold am I worth?” Y/N asks.

“What?”

“How much gold am I worth?”

Pod sighs. “Is this about what I said yesterday?”

“Perhaps.”

“Okay,” Pod says, thinking. After a moment of silence, he responds. “None.”

Y/N sits up immediately. “None?”

Pod smirks. “Yeah.” He adjusts his position so he’s sitting up, leaning on his elbows. “Gold is such a waste, don’t you think? You’re worth much more, in my opinion.”

The look of anger on Y/N’s face dissipates, replaced instead by a small smile. They cough into their arm in order to hide it.

“Of course, your kissing could use more work.” He smirks wider, raising an eyebrow. He moves closer to Y/N, giving them a quick peck on the mouth. “Would you like to practice some more? I think we’ve got some time before Lady Brienne and Ser Carac wake.”

Y/N rolls their eyes. “What makes you think I would want to do that?”

“Perhaps it was the way you were throwing yourself at me last night,” Pod responds arrogantly.

Y/N scoffs. “That’s entirely untrue. If I recall, it was you who started it all.”

“I disagree. You and all that ‘prove it’ nonsense, yeah? You were basically begging me to kiss you, I think.”

“Well, you’ve thought wrong, as per usual.”

Pod nods his head, mocking. “Oh yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“So I’m wrong to say that you like me?”

“Absolutely wrong.”

“Alright. So I won’t kiss you then.”

“Good. Don’t.”

“Good. I won’t.”

Pod starts to stand up, but Y/N pulls him back down. He raises an eyebrow.

“What’s this, then?” He asks, triumphantly.

“I said I didn’t want you to kiss me,” Y/N whispers, pressing their forehead against Podrick’s. “I never said anything about me kissing you.”

“Hm. Fair enough.”

Y/N laughs before pressing their lips to his. He slowly pushes them backwards, hands interlocked as he lays on top of them.

“You’re a pain in my ass, Podrick Payne.”

Pod laughs. “Whatever you say, Princess.”

[incorrect-game-of-thrones]

Brienne: What? People actually tell their crushes they like them?

Pod: What the hell do you do?

Brienne: I die? What sort of question-

[drymushroomfics]

Reminiscing

Sandor Clegane x Female Reader

Previous Next

Chapter Four

You sit up, looking around. Brienne is standing close by, looking confused.

"Podrick, where are our horses?", she asks.

You stand up quickly, realizing all three horses are gone. Panic sets in, and you're quick to gather your things.

"I hobbled them.", Pod replies to her.

"How did you hobble them?"

"A figure eight, like you taught me."

"If you did it like I taught you, then the horses would be here!"

"Are you lot done? Maybe we can find who took them if we get a move on?", you suggest.

Brienne looks at you with a nod.

"It's at least 30 miles to the Eyrie from here. You're carrying the saddlebags.", Brienne snaps at Pod.

He nods and quickly gathers their bags.

You all start walking toward the Eyrie.

Your mind starts to wonder as your eyes scan the trail ahead of you.

You were always fiesty. You never let anyone treat you with too much disrespect. You always stood up for yourself. That's what got you into trouble, mostly.

Maybe that's what Sandor Clegane liked about you the most. He always called you bullheaded.

You remember one night when you'd mouthed off to King Joffrey and Meryn Trant blackened your right eye. Sandor had been furious at you for talking back to the King, but he'd been even more furious with Trant.

"You have to be more careful, y/n... What would you expect me to do if the King had ordered me instead of Meryn fucking Trant?", he lectures you.

"I would've expected you to do your duty, Sandor."

"You want me to hit you?"

"No..."

"You've got to hold your tongue, bunny... Or I might not be able to stop it next time."

"Fine... But does that mean you'll pay Ser Meryn Trant a little visit?", you ask with a smirk.

"I'm going to teach that cunt what happens when he puts his hands on what's mine."

"Yours?"

"Aye."

He pulled you close and kissed you deeply.

He had threatened him and cornered him later that night. He left him with his own black eye. He figured it was fair to give him what he gave to you.

You had never seen anyone stick up to anyone for you. It warmed your heart.

You're still not sure why he wasted all that time on you. If he had no problem leaving you at Blackwater, then why did he care if Trant beat you?

You're pulled out of your thoughts by Pod and Brienne.

"I see the horses.", Pod says, relieved.

You're also relieved when you spot your mare up ahead.

That's when you also spot Arya Stark. You feel your heart beating faster.

"Morning.", Brienne smiles at her.

"Morning.", she replies, swinging around a small sword.

"I like your sword. Are we getting close to the bloody gate?", she asks her.

"About 10 miles more."

"Did you hear that, Pod and y/n? Only ten miles to the bloody gate."

"Are you a knight?"

"No."

"But you know how to use a sword?"

"I do.

Brienne gestures to you, "She's quite mean with a dagger."

"Does your sword have a name? Or your dagger? I've never heard of people naming daggers though."

"Oathkeeper.", Brienne responds.

"Memorial.", you respond, unstrapping it from your leg.

"Mines needle.", Arya tells you.

"Good name.", you reply.

"Who taught you how to fight?", she asks both of you.

"My father taught me.", Brienne replies.

"I taught myself.", you reply as well.

"My father never wanted to. Said fighting was for boys."

"Mine said the same, but I kept fighting the boys anyway. Kept losing, and finally father said, If you're going to do it, you might as well do it right.", Brienne explains.

Your heart practically leaps out of your throat when Sandor walks up to the four of you. Confusion and annoyance on his face.

"Seven blessings. I'm Brienne of Trath. This is Podrick Payne and my friend Y/N.", Brienne introduces.

Sandor looks directly at you, and his eyes widen for a moment.

"You want something?", he asks.

"That's Sandor Clegane. The Hound.", Pod says, fear laced in his tone.

"You're Arya Stark.", Brienne says, a relieved look on her face.

You're guessing she didn't know what either of the two looked like.

"I asked if you wanted something.", Sandor repeats, putting his hand on the handle of his sword.

"I swore to your mother, I would bring you home to her.", Brienne tells Arya.

"My mother's dead.", she replies."I know. I wish I could have been there to protect her."

"You're not a Northerner."

"No. But I swore a sacred vow to protect her."

"Why didn't you?"

"She commanded me to bring Jamie Lannister back to Kingslanding."

"No?", Sandor quiestions, stepping closer to her, "Fancy sword you've got there. Where'd you get it?... I've been looking at Lannister Gold all my life. Go on, Brienne of fucking Tarth, tell me that's not Lannister gold."

"Jamie Lannister gave me this sword."

"The bloody gates ten miles!", Arya chimes in, her voice growing loud.

"I swore to your mother by the Old Gods -"

"I don't care what you swore!"

"Arya!"

"You heard the girl! She's not coming with you."

"She is."

You watch as they draw their weapons.

"You're not a good listener. Valaryian steel... I've always wanted some Valaryian steel."

"Come with me, Arya. I'll take you to safety.", Brienne offers.

"Safety?! Where the fuck's that? Her aunt in the Eyrie's dead. Her mother's dead. Her father's dead. Her brother's dead. Winterfell's a pile of rubble. There's no safety, you dumb bitch. If you don't know that by know, you're the wrong one to watch over her.", Sandor exclaims, regusing to back down.

You feel so much rage and anger coursing through you. You waited for this day to come, and you will give him what he deserves.

"And that's what you're doing, Clegane?!", you chime in, moving next to Brienne.

"What the fuck are you doing, y/n?"

"Still remember me? I'm surprised. You haven't seen me since... Since you left Kingslanding, I believe."

"You don't understand."

"I understand, and I don't need some fucking excuse, dog! You're trying to watch over this girl?! How?! You swore to protect me once and look where that got me. Do you really think the safest place for anyone is with you? You'll do nothing but poison them. That's all the bloody Clegane's are; A fucking poison."

Y/n lunges at him with her dagger and he's quit to dodge.

"Figured you'd learn something by now.", Sandor jokes, tapping his sword on the ground.

"Fuck you.", you spit, turning around and slicing meerly an inch from his face.

"You did. As I recall... A lot."

You groan, lunging at him again, this time he doesn't dodge fast enough and the handle of your dagger lands on his cheekbone, cutting it open.

"You're quick. Still like a bunny. Hopping about."

"Shut up.", you shout, your ears starting to ring.

He holds up his sword, "If you want to fight me, go ahead. That puny fucking dagger I gave you won't do much."

You hold it up anyway, trying not to think about the fact that he recognized it.

"I can hold my own quite well since someone decided to run and leave me on my own."

"I didn-"

He's cut off by you stalking toward him. He's always loved how fiery you were. It seems you hadn't changed.

He swings his sword and you dodge, using your quick reflexes to your advantage. You know you can wear him down.

You twist yourself around, knocking your shoulder into his back, full force. He stumbles a little. Not before elbowing right into your lip, busting it open.

You taste the blood and smirk as he turns toward you.

"You always were fuckin' stubborn.", he smirks back.

"So were you."

He barrels toward you suddenly, almost catching you off guard. You dodge once more, lowering yourself to kick right between his legs. He groans, dropping to his knees. That's when his sword unexpectedly catches your arm, cutting a huge gash.

"Fuck.", you groan, feeling the burning pain.

You look up, realizing you and him have slowly fought your way up a mountain.

"Bastard.", you grit out.

He takes in a breath, looking at you and noticing your arm. Something flashes through his eyes.

"I didn't fucking leave you!", he yells.

"Of course you fucking did, Sandor! I waited... You never bloody came... I waited!", you yell back, tears welling in your eyes.

Out of nowhere, Brienne steps in front of you, holding her sword to his throat.

"I have no wish to kill you, ser.", she says, "But I will if it means saving my friend and the girl."

You move back a little watching them, ready to help at any moment.

Sandor grabs her sword with both hands, squeezing. Blood oozes from them.

"I'm not a knight.", he growls before pushing her sword out of the way and landing a blow to her cheek.

Everything moves so fast as they brawl. Your head spins watching them roll around on the dirt. When Brienne starts to scream and land blow after blow with a rock, you feel bile forming in your throat. You realize that you can't let him die. Not without answers.

"Brienne, stop!", you yell.

You grab her around the waist and she falls to the ground. You look up and your eyes widen as he falls from the cliff edge.

"No!", you scream, standing.

"This is what you wanted!", she yells at you."I need to know the truth , Brienne!" You run as fast as you can, trying to make it to the bottom.

You can hear them yelling for Arya and you don't care.

When you find him, Arya's kneeling over him. You watch her grab his coin satchel and leave. You don't bother going after her. You know Brienne will surely find her. It's not your job to interfere with her plans.

You turn your attention to Sandor.

You can hear him choking on his own blood as you step closer. He turns, looking at you.

You kneel down to him and he grabs at your arm, blood still soaking through your tunic at the gash.

Every pint up feeling you've had for Sandor starts to pour out of you and you start to cry.

You touch his cheek, "I've hated you for so long... Now look at you. Revenge doesn't feel as good as people say."

He almost laughs.

"I di-din't leave you, y-y/n... I se-searched for you."

You've never heard such pain and sadness in his voice. It almost breaks your heart to hear and you hate yourself for it.

He chokes again, more blood running from his mouth. His eyes meet yours and his hand finds yours. You find yourself holding it. You haven't felt his touch in so long. Your body naturally reacts and you sniffle, trying not to cry again.

"Please... kill me."

You can see tears welling in his eyes. You pick up your dagger with your good hand, moving it to his heart.

Taking a breath, your hand starts to shake.

"I-I can't... I wanted to for so long, but... I can't."

You look up and realize his eyes have closed.

[jalea-con-pan]

[swordmaid]

howl’s moving castle au ft. the tarth girls !!!

brienne as sophie / arianne as lettie / alysanne as martha 💖👒

[sdwolfpup]

I’ve been re-watching Galavant since that anon suggested Cersei as Madalena and honestly this show would make the perfect Jaime/Brienne AU I can’t deal with this.

Galavant literally just said, “You saw the best in me and ultimately reminded me what it means to be a real knight.”